Archive for April, 2007

Conservatives and liberals

April 28, 2007 at 11:40 am · Filed under Christians, conservatives, liberals

Help me out here.

Of all peoples on earth, you’d think my brothers and sisters in Christ would be the happiest, most optimistic, most assured, most confident and most forgiving.  Well my casual, non-scientific survey suggests otherwise.  Words like afraid, bitter, punitive, tense and hard-nosed more accurately describe most Christians I know. 

I received a piece of mail the other day from a well-known evangelistic organization out of Colorado Springs (you might guess who that might be) asking me to join their campaign to protest a recent judicial ruling in favor of a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body.  The language used to describe this “horrific” decision was laced with great fear and loathing.

Just this past week, the cry of ”foul” from area Christians in the wake of the Mary Winkler trial suggests the very “eye-for-an-eye mentality” that Jesus warned against.  “She should get what he got,” was a popular opinion.

Some of my well-meaning fellow believers would actually erect a wall around the U.S. to keep out illegal aliens.  I want to know if there is any other kind.  We are all illegal aliens.  Not one of us natural citizens had anything to do with where we live.  We live in a land that we didn’t create and take more from it than we give back.  Have we forgotten God’s view of aliens in the old covenant?  And have we forgotten that God calls his people to adopt his perspective on aliens?

As I listened to the debate in the U.S. Congress over funding for military actions in Iraq, I was struck by the grave expressions of fear from mostly conservative ranks (most of whom would call themselves Christian).   Their dire predictions of “If we don’t win this war, the enemy will follow us home” and ”To walk away from this war means we have turned the middle east over to the enemy” caused me to wonder who has the more powerful God.

My question is this:  Whatever happened to faith?  Whatever happened to belief in a God who will justly judge the righteous and the unrighteous?  Whatever happened to trusting the God who said “Vengeance is mine”?  Whatever happened to full confidence in the Christ who said “I have come to bring abundant living,” and “In this world you will have trouble, but I have overcome the world,” and “My peace I give you,” and (over and over) “Fear not”?  Where are the followers of the Maker of premium wine who seemed always up for a party?  (It’s hard to find Christians who want to party.)

Where are the believers who have genuinely tasted the amazing grace of God to the degree that they could not possibly hold a grudge against another person?  Where are the witnesses of Jesus’ tender and healing touch of lepers, prostitutes, tax cheaters, sexual perverts and others?  Where are the ones who have heard time and again Jesus’ haunting words to those who were killing him, “Forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing?”   Talk about withdrawing from conflict…!

Why are those “liberals” who would never claim to be a believer (or who casually endorse their faith) the ones who more closely demonstrate the traits of our Father?  The bulk of the non-Christians I am coming to know seem relaxed, laid back, full of life, forgiving and tolerant.  They seem (in my casual observation) to be the ones who run/walk 5Ks for homeless projects and write/march/speak in defense of social justice.  Their politics often advocate sitting down with political enemies to work out peaceful solutions to conflicts.  They typically vote for large spending for social programs to feed the poor, subsidize housing for indigents, rehab inner cities, fund recovery institutions and more. 

There must be a way for God’s people to live at peace with those who don’t see things as we do.  There must be a way to uphold the integrity of God without alienating ourselves from others.  There must be a way to impress and influence toward good without creating divisions.  There must be room in our lives to learn from those who live like God although they don’t call him Lord.  There must be a greater desire to live like Jesus.

Got thoughts? 

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Tragedy

April 19, 2007 at 6:34 pm · Filed under Virginia Tech, XM radio, tragedy

This has been a sad week.  No one can escape the news from Blacksburg, VA; it’s everywhere.  USA Today carries daily  stories on the 32 students murdered on Monday.  The stories will rip your heart out.  Lynn had nightmares Monday night and awoke so distressed that she immediately contacted our only son left in college just to make sure he was all right.  My heart goes out to every parent who lost a child in that tragedy, every one who lost a brother or sister, every grandparent and friend.

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I get most of my follow-up news about the Virginia Tech shootings from one of several stations on my truck’s XM radio.   This week brought an unusual amount of newsworthy programming.  I found myself switching among the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Virginia Tech, the Mary Winkler trial (a regional story that has attracted national attention), and of course Boston Red Sox baseball.  And of course I have to find out how the Evil Empire (Yankees) is doing.  Then, there’s all that music, old time radio, and the Dan Patrick (sports) Show.  So much radio, so little time. 

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If that’s not enough, I also have a cassette player in my truck through which I listen to tapes of old “Prairie Home Companion” programs.  They were a gift from my oldest son and prompted me to think about the various and wonderful gifts that my sons have given me over the years.  My youngest son knows my love for the Beatles, so I cherish and enjoy the Beatles number one hits and a huge coffee table anthology of the Fab Four he’s given me.  He also gave me a CD of Elvis’s number one songs.  I don’t lack for entertainment.  In addition, I have hundreds and hundreds of workshops/seminars/lectureships recordings plus sermons and Bible classes on cassette.  A few dozen of those are my own sermons and classes, but I dare not chance dozing off at the wheel so I’ll wait until I’m home before cranking those up. 

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On the light side:  At the huge Sears warehouse in Olive Branch, truck drivers must give their name and commercial driver’s license number before entering the facilities.  I thought instead of taking my license into the guard shack each trip, I would simply memorize the nine digit number.  This would have been no problem 20 or 30 years ago, but I found it more difficult than I thought.  However, after a few weeks, I was able to commit the number to memory.  After about a week I felt confident enough to leave my license in the truck and give them the number from heart, only to have them inform me that they no longer needed the number, only my name.  Perhaps someone will come up to me one day and ask for my driver’s license number, and I’ll blow them away with my steel trap memory.

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Seal test of life

April 15, 2007 at 8:05 pm · Filed under God and injustice, poor, worship

Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven…But I will tell them, “I will have nothing to do with you!  Get out of my sight, you evil people.”                                                      –Jesus (CEV)

Last week the warehouse manager at the Sears in Florence, AL mentioned that he had a “seal test” on a truck load that came to his store a few days before my delivery.  I asked what a seal test is.  He said that the warehouse that loads the truck to be delivered to his store will sometimes put a seal on the truck doors but write down the wrong number on the delivery papers to see if the receiving store really checks to make sure that the number on the seal matches the number on the papers.  If they don’t, it could mean that someone has broken the seal, taken some merchandise and put another seal on the door.  It’s Sears’ way to control inventory and prevent thefts.

Then, a few hours later as I was leaving Florence, I passed a church building with this sign:  “Obey the Lord or spend eternity in hell.”  (That’s an inviting message, isn’t it?)

What if the Lord gave that church a “seal test” of its own?  What if the Lord prepared some sort of test to see if his people are really doing what God says?  Would they pass his seal test?

The answer to that question is, of course, No.  No one would pass God’s seal test.  He expects perfection and anything less means a failing grade.  But shouldn’t his people be trying to get as close to passing as they can?  It seems Christians are so absorbed with issues that God says very little about and pay so little attention to matters that he is passionate about. 

One issue that God’s people are fixated on right now is worship.  How to.  When to.  Who leads, who doesn’t, etc.  In the full scheme of things, God says precious little about “worship” (as in, “Let’s go to worship.”).  Contrary to what I have been taught nearly all my life, there is no secret, 5-step formula for what God’s people do when they get together.  Yet these matters occupy so much of believers’ discussions.

Other issues, however, that permeate Scripture—injustice and care for the poor and disadvantaged—receive little attention from so many Christian communities.  Even among believers, the gap between rich and poor is widening.  Many wealthy churches are moving further away from the economic deserts of the city to settle in wealthier neighborhoods.  And they’re spending millions to do so.

I’ll tell you what it really means to worship the Lord.  Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly.  Free those who are abused.  Share your food with everyone who is hungry; share your home with the poor and homeless.  Give clothes to those in need; don’t turn away from your relatives.    Isaiah 58:6-8 (CEV)

 Let’s pray that God doesn’t spring a seal test on us this week.

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Don Imus

April 12, 2007 at 7:14 pm · Filed under Don Imus

I have to take a side road and comment on the Don Imus fiasco. 

I like Don Imus.  I have listened to him since the early 70s when I was a broadcast journalism student at Memphis State.  He was one of many cases we studied to understand the variety of radio programming and on-air talent.  Through the years I have followed “Imus in the Morning” from WFAN to his current (until today) program on CBS and MSNBC.  He makes me laugh.  He makes me mad.  He has cultivated one of the best venues for hearing from political heavies who know Imus will ask the right questions with sensitivity.  As a result, political luminaries from presidents to candidates for every office trust Imus enough to offer spontaneous, relevant and honest perspectives on current issues.  With the election season upon us, I will greatly miss the insights gained from Imus’ radio program.

I don’t have to tell you that what Imus said was extremely careless.  Of all the stupid things Imus has said over the years, this was the most irresponsible.  And it cost him his job.  Maybe it also cost him his reputation and even his career.  I hope not.

What most people don’t know, or have forgotten, is that Don has come along way over the years.  As bad as he might be now, he was much worse.  But I know that he does not mean to be insensitive.  I know he is not a racist.  I know he believes in Jesus and from time to time offers very moving soliloquies about the Savior.  He unabashedly will say, “The I-man loves the Baby Jesus.”  He has once and for all kicked alcohol and drugs after many long, hard battles over the years.  He married a loving and talented wife who keeps Imus on an even keel.  Together they have young Wyatt who clearly is the joy of his life.  A few years ago, the I-man took an interest in sudden infant death syndrome and has raised millions for that cause.  He also started and maintains a ranch for children with cancer.  Just today, Imus oversaw the conclusion of a radiothon during which $1 million was raised for the ranch.  And today, he was fired.

I have never heard Don Imus so penitent as he has been since he uttered those fatal words about the Rutgers’ ladies basketball team.  He has done everything he can to somehow rectify the unrectifiable.  He endured Al Sharpten’s tirade.  He went on the “Today” show.  He has apologized everyday on his program.  He’s asked to meet with the basketball team to personally apologize. 

Don Imus was unjustly fired.  He deserves better.  America needs Don Imus so much more than we need Howard Stearn or a host of other on-air “personalities” (some of whom fill the airwaves right here in Memphis).  Radio will never be the same without the I-man.  It’s a shame. 

Your thoughts? 

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Truck tips, series #1

April 7, 2007 at 9:05 pm · Filed under truck tips

Trucks!  You can’t live with ‘em and you can’t live without ‘em.

Actually, we really could live without trucks but it would not be as luxurious a life as most of us have now.  Trucks bring us everything—clothing, fuel, household goods, houses, cars, lawn mowers, potting soil, food, shotgun shells—well, literally everything comes to a store near you by truck.  So, it’s time we stop cursing trucks and learn to live with them.

Since I began driving, I have a whole new appreciation for truckers.  With the exception of a few jerks along the way, truck drivers are a considerate lot and would never do anything that jeopardizes the safety of fellow drivers.  Everything truck drivers do has a practical purpose beyond just trying to tee you off. 

To help us all get along better with the 18-wheel behemoths that prowl our highways day and night, from time to time I will offer some tips for sharing the road peacefully and safely.  I welcome your own tips or any question you might have about truck, truck drivers or truck driving practices.

Tip 1:  Watch your spacing around trucks.  Trucks need a lot of room to maneuver.  Never pass a truck on the right when it is about to turn right.  A truck driver will often have to make a right turn from the next lane over to the left in order to make the turn without going up on the sidewalk or taking out a sign.  Give the truck plenty of space to make a right turn.  And don’t pull up right behind a truck at a stop light or sign.  Sometimes, especially if the truck is on a slight incline, it will have to move backwards a few feet before it moves forward.  Leave at least a car length between you and the truck.

Tip 2:  Don’t cut a truck off in traffic.  Trucks can’t stop on a dime, so don’t pull in front of one without leaving safe distance between you and the truck.  It takes about a football field length for a truck traveling 60 mph to come to a complete stop.  If you need to pull in front of a truck, be moving at the speed of or greater than the truck.  This is especially true if you are entering a highway from a ramp in front of a semi.  A courteous truck driver will switch to the left lane when he sees traffic getting on the interstate in front of him.  But sometimes other traffic in the left lane won’t allow that, so he has to stay in the lane with merging traffic.  Just be aware of the time it takes a truck to stop and start before you pull in front of one.

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